Narrative:

I went to keep an appointment with local maintenance operator to replace a fuel flow transducer on small aircraft. I was accompanied by my friend X and his grandson. Maintenance is located on lampson airport (102) 3 mi south of the town of lakeport at clear lake. I did not file a flight plan but did use flight following. We arrived over the airport some time after am. There were scattered clouds and good visibility. The airport was blocked from view at our position at 6500' but lakeport and clear lake were clear. We cancelled flight following (oakland center) and started to descend. When I reduced the throttle below 15' the gear horn came on clearly audible but no loud. I leveled at approximately 3500' MSL over the lake and started looking for the airport. We were not familiar with the area and the airport was not visible from over the lake. Visibility was good. Having tuned in the NDB, I steered for it. As we leveled off mr X called lampson unicom but no answer. He called again as we passed over the shoreline asking for the active runway. Unicom answered and gave us 28. Runway 28 is adjacent ot a grove of trees which parallels it. It blocked our view of the runway until we were quite close. My X saw the runway first but misread the numbers and said we had the wrong runway. I then saw the runway and determined it to be 28. We were now very near where we must turn on final or maneuver for another try. We were still high and fast. The gear horn had hardly stopped since we started our descent. I chose to land. I closed the throttle, turned on final with full flaps. I xed the threshold at 70 KTS and started the flare. It was an exceptional smooth landing. The only problem, the gear was not down. The damage was minimal but no one was injured. From the time we sighted the lake to landing, it was a 'hurry up' situation. Being unfamiliar with the area and not being able to see the airport until the last moment added to the dilemma. The orchard adjacent to the runway contributed. He gear horn had been going so long we had just 'shut it out.' (I intended to replace it with a much louder one if I can find one). The misident of the numbers was at a bad time. There is no excuse for what happened. The above is an explanation of why. To prevent such incidents a horn so loud as to be extremely objectionable forcing the pilot to do something about it.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA PLT LISTENS TO GEAR HORN SO LONG HE IGNORES IT. LANDS GEAR UP.

Narrative: I WENT TO KEEP AN APPOINTMENT WITH LCL MAINT OPERATOR TO REPLACE A FUEL FLOW TRANSDUCER ON SMA. I WAS ACCOMPANIED BY MY FRIEND X AND HIS GRANDSON. MAINT IS LOCATED ON LAMPSON ARPT (102) 3 MI S OF THE TOWN OF LAKEPORT AT CLR LAKE. I DID NOT FILE A FLT PLAN BUT DID USE FLT FOLLOWING. WE ARRIVED OVER THE ARPT SOME TIME AFTER AM. THERE WERE SCATTERED CLOUDS AND GOOD VISIBILITY. THE ARPT WAS BLOCKED FROM VIEW AT OUR POS AT 6500' BUT LAKEPORT AND CLR LAKE WERE CLR. WE CANCELLED FLT FOLLOWING (OAKLAND CTR) AND STARTED TO DSND. WHEN I REDUCED THE THROTTLE BELOW 15' THE GEAR HORN CAME ON CLRLY AUDIBLE BUT NO LOUD. I LEVELED AT APPROX 3500' MSL OVER THE LAKE AND STARTED LOOKING FOR THE ARPT. WE WERE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA AND THE ARPT WAS NOT VISIBLE FROM OVER THE LAKE. VISIBILITY WAS GOOD. HAVING TUNED IN THE NDB, I STEERED FOR IT. AS WE LEVELED OFF MR X CALLED LAMPSON UNICOM BUT NO ANSWER. HE CALLED AGAIN AS WE PASSED OVER THE SHORELINE ASKING FOR THE ACTIVE RWY. UNICOM ANSWERED AND GAVE US 28. RWY 28 IS ADJACENT OT A GROVE OF TREES WHICH PARALLELS IT. IT BLOCKED OUR VIEW OF THE RWY UNTIL WE WERE QUITE CLOSE. MY X SAW THE RWY FIRST BUT MISREAD THE NUMBERS AND SAID WE HAD THE WRONG RWY. I THEN SAW THE RWY AND DETERMINED IT TO BE 28. WE WERE NOW VERY NEAR WHERE WE MUST TURN ON FINAL OR MANEUVER FOR ANOTHER TRY. WE WERE STILL HIGH AND FAST. THE GEAR HORN HAD HARDLY STOPPED SINCE WE STARTED OUR DSNT. I CHOSE TO LAND. I CLOSED THE THROTTLE, TURNED ON FINAL WITH FULL FLAPS. I XED THE THRESHOLD AT 70 KTS AND STARTED THE FLARE. IT WAS AN EXCEPTIONAL SMOOTH LNDG. THE ONLY PROB, THE GEAR WAS NOT DOWN. THE DAMAGE WAS MINIMAL BUT NO ONE WAS INJURED. FROM THE TIME WE SIGHTED THE LAKE TO LNDG, IT WAS A 'HURRY UP' SITUATION. BEING UNFAMILIAR WITH THE AREA AND NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE THE ARPT UNTIL THE LAST MOMENT ADDED TO THE DILEMMA. THE ORCHARD ADJACENT TO THE RWY CONTRIBUTED. HE GEAR HORN HAD BEEN GOING SO LONG WE HAD JUST 'SHUT IT OUT.' (I INTENDED TO REPLACE IT WITH A MUCH LOUDER ONE IF I CAN FIND ONE). THE MISIDENT OF THE NUMBERS WAS AT A BAD TIME. THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR WHAT HAPPENED. THE ABOVE IS AN EXPLANATION OF WHY. TO PREVENT SUCH INCIDENTS A HORN SO LOUD AS TO BE EXTREMELY OBJECTIONABLE FORCING THE PLT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.